What Is A Family?
by yoho-hey
Summary: Shortly after Scamp returns home from the alleys, everything was falling into place. Their family was finally something they could call perfect. Meanwhile, Tramp is feeling anxious about Scamp.


A/N:

Well I said I would start writing for new fandoms so, here it is! I'm really slow. So just a few things to know about this story, this takes place after the second movie, and I'm really sorry but there is no Angel in this. I didn't think that she would fit into the whole family concept that I was going for, also I just dont like her! Also I read that their last name is Brown so I hope no one gets confused with that. And lastly, you should really watch the second movie before reading this or it probably won't make sense! Let me know if you would like more. Enjoy. :D

* * *

It had been two years since the Brown household had accepted Tramp into their home, and New England was as charming as it was. Children were playing in their front yards, as others walked their dogs down the friendly neighborhood streets, bowing their heads in greeting and lifting their hats to their fellow neighbors as they passed each other. It was a beautiful and casual day. The sun shone down perfectly on every being as the blue birds fluttered across the sky from tree to tree, chirping their daily song.

Jim Dear was currently doing yard work in the back lawn of their house that afternoon, planting their vegetables and getting rid of nasty weeds as Darling sat elegantly in the shaded porch rocking chair nearby. She was reading one of the novels she was destined to finish soon. Both of them adored books, and had plenty of them on various shelves throughout their large house. And it wasn't every day Darling was able to enjoy the fresh air and quiet atmosphere without having to worry about Junior, who had been taking a restful nap inside.

Tramp laughed loudly as his daughters and only son playfully trampled on top of him, play fighting with his loving kids on the grass. It was a regular game for them, he loved spending time with his family more than anything, even if it was being tackled to the ground. And the kids enjoyed playing pretend battles with their father too, partially because they would almost always win. They hadn't cared to consider that four against one was a little unfair.

After so long in a house and living the way that he does now, Tramp had developed shaky bones from becoming much older as a father now. It was normal, and bound to happen. He really wasn't the old Tramp anymore. It also became kind of difficult with four not-so-tiny-anymore pups constantly jumping on him and biting his ears, keeping the mutt from maybe ever getting up again.

"Dad!" Scamp laughed as he had been playfully pushed off of his father's back, but took no defeat and gladly lowered his head with his tail high in the air, getting ready to pounce once more. Lady, sitting quietly at the top of the few porch steps near her Mistress, watched in awe at the joyous image of Tramp and her children playing together. Lady admired the way Tramp clearly loved and enjoyed spending time with their pups. She smiled delicately while tilting her head to the side, thinking. He really had changed, but some part of him still contained the remains of that rebellious street dog she fell in love with.

Darling gently leaned down to place a delicate hand on Lady's head, scratching behind the Cocker's ear.

"My, such a beautiful moment in our lives, isn't it?" She said to Lady in her angelic, soothing voice.

"How time does fly." Darling gazed forward- to Jim, the family, and the charming Neighborhood. The woman smiled widely before continuing to read her book.

She was right. Nothing could have been more wonderful; they were a happy family and everyone was settled- which they had all thought would have been impossible for Scamp. It hadn't felt like too long ago when Lady was the only dog in the house. They never would have guessed it'd be so much better with the big family that they have now.

Rolling on his back with his paws in the air, the Tramp laughed once more as Annette tugged at his right ear. Tramp nearly coughed, a laugh still in his voice as he eased them down.

"Alright, alright… you win." Tramp began, catching his breath. "Time to settle down." He told the pups, progressively standing back on all four feet.

Lady smiled once more before she heard a familiar voice, and spotted a recognizable face making its way through a loose panel in the house's white picket fence.

"Oh, Miss Lady, ma'am!" Trusty howled before completely stepping through, and was shortly followed by none other than Jock the Scottish terrier. The two of them were almost never seen separated outside of their homes.

"Oh hi, fellas!" Greeted the Tramp, watching the two friends make their way over. Although it had taken a while for Jock and Trusty to warm up to Tramp, they were now just as good of friends to him as they were to Lady.

"Uncle Trusty! Uncle Jock!" The three girls called out happily as they skipped and hopped towards the old family friends. Scamp perked his head up at the mention of the new visitors as he wagged his tail rapidly and dropped his tongue. He soon followed close behind them, a little slower for he wasn't one to get unnecessarily loud and excited like his sisters, in his opinion.

"Oh! Well, come in!" Jim Dear beamed at the arrival of Jock and Trusty. It had become such an ordinary occurrence for them that the two dogs were always welcome. Jim Dear and Darling loved any company.

The two friends made their way over to the kids and Tramp as Jock noticed Lady wasn't with them, but instead sitting over on the porch a short ways away, looking beautiful as always. Her brown eyes sparkled in the sunlight, the fur on her big ears slightly blowing in the wind.

He left Trusty with them, knowing he was probably about to tell them another one of his overtold stories, and trotted over to the cocker spaniel.

"Ahh, Lassie!" He beamed.

A smile instantly lit up on her face, always glad to see her old friend.

"Hello, Jock!" Lady said warmly.

"I saw Jim Dear as we were about to leave for a walk so I thought we would quickly come on over." Jock stated cheerfully, and didn't hear a reply. He looked over to Lady and noticed her staring. She looked distracted, but happy. He followed her gaze and was eventually trailed to Tramp and the others, then looked back at Lady once more. He instantly knew what she was thinking. Although Jock and Trusty were not always so fond of Tramp from the beginning, they always knew that she loved him. He could tell that Lady has never been more happy in her life than she is now.

"Ahh..." The Terrier began. He joined her, gazing peacefully before them. "What a wonderful sight."

And it really was wonderful.

oOoOo

That night, it had been nearly 10 O'clock and Jim Dear and Darling had just put Junior to bed before heading to their room to get some night's rest as well. Colette, Annette, and Danielle, along with their brother Scamp all slept in the dining room, the same room where Lady was put during her first night in the house. The three girls would sleep together in their basket, and Scamp in his independent dog bed close by, while Tramp and Lady varied from the couch to in front of the fireplace to their own dog bed.

But tonight all dogs were awake as the family lingered in the living room, and the storm outside kept the kids from even _trying_ to fall asleep as the thunder roared and the heavy rain battered against the window.

"Momma, is the storm gonna stop soon?" Colette asked innocently, looking up at her mother.

"Well, of course it is." Said Lady, trying to sound as comforting as she could so they wouldn't worry about the storm too much.

"Ah, it's just a little downpour." Tramp assured as he walked over to look out the window, confidence in his voice, although it was truthfully much more than that. It was thundering hard, but he didn't want to say anything to them among those lines. The glass was drenched with rain from the other side, water droplets trickling down the surface. Then he turned back to look at his family with an assuring smile on his face.

"It'll wash away in no time."

"But the thunder makes the house rumble." Annette whined pitifully as her two sisters slightly hid behind her with worried expressions.

"Hah! I'm not afraid." Scamp bragged confidently. Having three sisters made him believe that he needed to maintain a tough and brave image, although he still had a little growing to do, he just couldn't admit that.

"You guys tell me when you're done being fraidy-cats." He snarled, when a sudden rumble of thunder and a blinding flash of lightning struck, causing Scamp to let out a yelp and suddenly jump back directly into the side table behind him, and knocking over whatever was on top of it. His three sisters rolled over laughing, holding their stomachs at the sight of Scamp's fright.

"Hmph." He glared at them angrily and slightly embarrassed, his head down low.

"Now, now, it's not nice to laugh." Lady told them, and they immediately shushed themselves, trying to hold in the remaining of their laughter.

"Alright, you three. Time for bed." She began guiding them over to their bed and the girls followed after her, sleep in their eyes. Scamp barely lifted his head in joy, hoping that didn't include him.

"You too, Whirlwind." He heard his father say.

"Aww, dad!" He whined.

"But we're not tired!" Danielle pleaded, although they were all secretly, very tired.

The Tramp laughed. He had heard that before. "Come on, now."

Scamp pushed himself over to the dining room, following Danielle, Annette, and Colette who had already begun to cuddle together in their basket as Lady delicately kissed each of them on the head. Scamp stood in his bed and patted the ruffled blanket with his paws a few times, then footed in circles before finally plopping down and resting his chin on the blanket.

"Don't worry, the storm will be over before you know it." Lady comforted them, and kissed a sleepy Scamp on the cheek before walking back into the living room.

"Daddy?" Colette nearly mumbled for she was falling asleep quickly, her eyes barely open. Tramp turned his head and walked over to their bed with a warm smile on his face. She yawned and closed her eyes.

"Will you leave the door open?" She asked innocently. "Just a little bit."

"I will." The mutt whispered as he leaned in to kiss her. "You go to sleep, now."

"I love you."

"I love you too, Sweetheart." He turned to join Lady in the other room, leaving the door half open. He saw her laying on the carpet in front of the fireplace. She always loved it there. Tramp walked over quietly, careful not to disturb her if she was almost asleep, and then rested his front legs on her back and his chin on top of her head.

"Good night, Pidge." He voiced just over a whisper as he, too, drifted into a deep sleep.

oOoOo

_The streets of New England were cold, empty, and quiet, illuminated by only a few dim streetlights and the occasional lit up window as every being was fast asleep in their homes. The roads were wet, the tire creases filled with cold rain water and stinky mud. The moon was full and bright and the dark sky was clear of stars tonight._

_He digged and nuzzled his snout into the fallen trash can, foraging for any scraps he could find that weren't already snatched by rats and left as nothing but a slim fish bone. He had thoroughly searched nearly every alley in town this past week hoping that he could perhaps be lucky enough to claim a whole can for himself._

_Scamp was startled by the sound of banging metal, and looked up quickly to see another fallen over trash can and an alley cat running past it. He passed it off for alley cats were something to expect out here, and continued sniffing for food, pushing his head as deep as he could go into the trash can._

_Nothing._

_The mutt looked up ahead of him further into the alley- nothing but empty barrels, crates, and old wooden fences leading to people's back yards that were falling apart. His stomach growled, he was so hungry. Just another night out on the streets. He had no food, and no collar._

_There was a sound behind him, a faint dangerous growl. Immediately sensing an unwanted presence, the pup perked his ears up and instinctively turned around quickly._

_"Who's there?"_

_He couldn't see anything, but he soon spotted a shadow moving towards him, a familiar figure. It was too dark to see. Scamp squinted his eyes and began to slowly step closer cautiously. Then the growling became louder, more vicious._

_Finally, the figure stepped out of the shadows and into the little moonlight that there was._

_It was Buster._

_Scamp gasped, beginning to back away slowly, before the mongrel suddenly let out an alarming bark and lunged at him._

The Tramp shot open his eyes, his body jerking as he soon focused his gaze on his surroundings. He saw the staircase, Jim Dear and Darling's rocking chairs, and the big bay window by the door- it was still raining. And finally, he saw Lady, sound asleep quietly next to him. He was relieved he was right where he had fallen asleep. He looked at the clock- it read 1:20. The Tramp closed his eyes again, sighing quietly and trying to relax himself, shifting his chin on his front legs. The heat from the fireplace behind him cascaded on his back, comforting and soothing him.

He laid there, thinking._ Scamp_. He was so small, so fragile in such a big world. He was his only son, and the only thing he wanted was for him to be safe. Tramp wanted to give him everything he didn't have- a home, family, love. He couldn't imagine Scamp living out there all on his own. And the few nights that he did, Tramp was just so afraid he would lose him. And Buster. He was the last dog Tramp wanted around his son. But it was too much for him to think about now.

The mutt stood up. He needed to take his mind off of it. Tramp remembered Scamp and his daughters in the dining room not too far away and started walking slowly, his head down low. He could feel the sleep in his eyes as he pushed open the door a bit more with his snout and walked through, the light of the fireplace from the other room shining through ever so slightly. Scamp slept restfully in his bed, all four legs extended in front of him as he lay on his side.

Tramp looked at him with a loving expression, and yet there was some hint of sadness in it. He wa so proud of his son. Telling Buster off, and then coming back to live in his home where he belonged. He just hoped he was happy. That's all he wanted for Scamp.

Slowly bending his head down, Tramp looked at him for a moment then gently licked the side of his face, trying not to wake the sleeping mutt. He could hear the rain battering the window through the closed curtains and the slight sound of distant thunder.

Scamp slowly opened one of his eyes, looking through the open door into the other room, and saw his father walking away. He wondered why he was awake, but couldn't help the corners of his mouth as they slightly raised into a tired smile, and soon enough fell right back to sleep.

Tramp peered over at Lady as he walked past her, before going to sit up on the ledge of the window and gazing through it. The storm had lightened up only slightly since they all went to bed. The water droplets poured down the window pane, trickling and streaming as they left trails of water on their path. Thunder rumbled in the distance. He was glad neither him or Scamp were out in the streets in this weather for he had known too much about that, and rather inside their comfortable home.

"Tramp?"

He heard the soft, sweet voice of his mate behind him. He had hoped she wouldn't wake up, but she was a very light sleeper. Tramp didn't turn around, and instead continued to watch out the bay window. He noticed her sitting up on the sill next to him.

"Are you alright?" She soon asked.

Lady knew something was wrong, but wasn't the one to push anything out of him.

Tramp took a deep breath. He was so lost in his thoughts- his worries. He wished he hadn't been.

"It's Scamp." He finally said. She didn't know what he meant by that, but remained quiet and let him speak. "He's so young, Pidge."

Then she knew what he was thinking. He was scared for him.

The both of them sat there for a short moment not saying anything.

"If only I had just listened to him instead of getting mad at him. Maybe he wouldn't have run away." They spoke quietly for the kids were asleep not too far away. He knew that his son was back home and safe now but he was so afraid he would of never came back, and he still felt bad about it, like it was his fault and could have done something to prevent it.

"Oh, Tramp." Voiced Lady softly. "It wasn't your fault."

He listened to her, not saying anything.

"If it weren't for you, who knows what would have happened to him by now."

She was right. She always was. Scamp would still be in the pound if Tramp hadn't rescued him when he did, or worse, he may not even be alive.

"Besides, he's got the cunning mind of his father."

Lady looked at him with a soft smile on her face, studying his every expression, waiting for a response. Finally, he looked over at her. She was always the one to lighten him up when he needed it.

"Oh, Pidge..." The mutt began to turn his body towards her.

Lady burrowed her head into his neck, his chin now on top of her head as she closed her eyes and relaxed, hoping he would do the same. Leaning his head on her, the two of them sat in peacefulness with only the company of each other, and the sound of the rain.


End file.
